We had a few qtrs of decent growth, unemployment fell all the way down to 8.8%, and it started looking like we might pull out of our "crisis." At least, it looked that way to some. A few of us were doubtful. Unfortunately, that "few" seems to have been correct.

By the first of the year gasoline prices started getting pretty high. By the end of Feb gasoline prices were over $3.00, heading to $3.50, and the economy started slowing. By the end of March we were heading for $4.00, and the economy was, for all intents and purposes, at a standstill.

We are now at either flat, or slightly negative growth, and have been for a couple of months. But, here's where it gets scary. Gas Prices have fallen All The Way Back to $3.75, and are showing signs of stabilizing, and possibly heading back up.

Yep, there you have it. The U.S. going into recession has managed to knock the price of gasoline down by a whole $0.25.

Gasoline prices appear to be stabilizing at a higher price than it took to send us sliding back into the mire.

Why are private businesses not likely to operate a lighthouse?A. Ship owners buy insurance policies to protect themselves from losses so they won't pay for lighthouses.

B. The light from the lighthouse can be used even by ships that do not pay a fee for the service."

this implies that SOME ships pay a fee while others do not.

I don't think ANY ships pay a lighthouse fee and instead all of them buy insurance or go bare.

I realize it was an allegory but given the "duh" character of some questions - this one had more of a "gotcha" quality.

and of course, all of them represent a theoretical perspective and in a world where the govt and companies assert themselves ...

for instance, the govt may well put a tax on ships that is used to pay for lighthouses....

a better question in my view would be to ask IF the govt should institute a tax to pay for lighthouses - if it turned out that doing that was cheaper than not doing so... which another question essentially asked.

The test was way too easy, but I had to cheat to get the union question correct and get 13 out of 13.

I was expecting a question such as this: If someone gives you a dollar bill and prints $1 trillion more the next day, how much is your dollar worth in purchasing power now as compared to when you first received it?